Shitsuren Chocolatier

I like, LOVE this show, the boy and the girl and their interaction surrounded by fine dark chocolate. Yummy.

I love how he knows the tempering of chocolate is going right or wrong just by one look. No chocolate thermometer needed. An obsession with a girl has become true love for chocolate, but will he realize that or get stuck in a bad romance?

Spoilers -

This junior kouhai boy is hopelessly in love with his senior sempai girl but she's the school bike for the rich and popular. In desperation he befriends her boyfriends and becomes their unofficial gopher. She loves chocolate and he's the son of the bakery shop owner. He focuses on chocolate to win her heart. She adores this particular chocolate made in Paris. He makes chocolates of his own as close as possible to the original with his limited skills and confesses his feelings. She turn him down and he goes to Paris to apprentice at that chocolate shop. 6 years pass. He returns as the chocolate prince just in time to open a new shop and bake a cake for her wedding. But she's not letting him go that easily, now that he's back in her life and rich and famous. Because he loves her and she knows it and she loves owning his heart completely. Why do humans keep pets? Because we love their simple adoration of us.

 I'll be honest, my diet is working wonders for me, I feel better and healthier. Plus I reached my lowest weight ever. But you miss what you love, food or people, it's like an old addiction. The craving does not disappear completely. She is his only weakness. I would say he was gay, but he worships her. She's only human. Don't fall so deeply in love with a human that you forget. He has not even had sex because of her. And that reaction when he sees her after his return? Poor guy. Still addicted. The plot here is super rich, even the side characters are well fleshed out, his sister, his co worker, his rival, his love competition, the French idiot.

She has a point though when she says map instead of dream/fantasy, at one point, you must do it, not dream about it anymore. It is a twisted way of looking at life, but I think everything comes with an expiry date and a deadline. Because he has elevated her to a level of Goddess in his mind, he will never make the first move and she likes being his Goddess. Completely untouchable to her loyal devoted slave. Tough word, but I think it suits this situation. I think he prefers the fantasy to the reality. Like that Hindi serial 'May I come in Madam.' Which is a laugh riot you must check out.

Ooh, this is based on a manga, no wonder the plot is so interesting. For the first time, we see the heroine as a conniving scheming plotting female not innocent nor sweet. Frankly, she comes off as very real to me, this is what a real human is like, selfish and self centered. Why should she wait 6 years for him? Why should she wait for him to make a move? What's wrong with her is the way she keeps coming back to his life and not letting him go and get over her. I think it is too much because she has no intention of moving forwards with him. Dog in the manger attitude.

Oh my God, that speech! His true feelings of hate. And the way she responds when he ignores her! Ricodor, the new enemy.  He is seeing through her facade and he is slowly growing out of his obsession with her. Good for him. But she's his muse and his ideas dry up without her.

 I love Erena's words here. Why be faithful to a dream? Will the dream ever become real? When they exchange sexual fantasies of "their true loves", what an honest scene.

You want something, make a real effort. Don't dream about it, do it. Be real, true to your heart, don't play with the hearts of others, be clear and upfront about what you want. Honesty will save you a lot of trouble in the future. Never lie to your own self. Lies are complicated and difficult to remember, besides isn't it troublesome to pretend all the time? Where's your core of peace? How do you relax?

Super secret spoilers - They are both playing each other, definitely a bad romance, you want true love or imitation, what do you desire?Both are commitment phobic, fake, illusionists wearing masks. Brilliant show but don't expect more than a meaningful dissection of love. No happy ever after love story here. The complex love stories are more delicious.

End points - 
If you dangle a guy, sooner or later he will give up on you. Cause no one has infinite patience and love is like a living thing, it must be fed or it will die. 
And if you have to maintain your cute mask in front of him, you're not very serious about him. A true face can be shown only to the people who do understand you and value you as you are. 
Sometimes you will deny heartbreak to avoid the pain and continue your love story on your own. I never did that, but I can see the possibility. 
Love does not guarantee blind faith in your lover. Are you cheating on me?
If she doesn't value you, her opinion is unlikely to change with time or effort. If she has always seen you as entertainment and not life, that's not going to change with love or force. It hurts but the world is full of people. The people who mind don't matter and the people who matter don't mind. 

If I were to rate this, I would give it full marks. Watch this drama. A good show to watch if you want to learn how to be a player, a seducer of hearts. The girls are fabulous here.

The ending blew my mind. A shot to the heart.  

Bel Ami, South Korean Drama

I actually have put this drama off, many times, because I was judging it based on the poster, which depicted a traditional love triangle. The usual two rich boys one silly poor girl formula. Then I said, hey, and tried it out. WOW.

Based on a book by Guy De Maupassant and an English movie starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. Movie is very different from drama, so try both, if you have time.

To the drama, now!
Ma Te is a pretty poor boy with a mysterious past. His mother dies with the password heard by a female stalker. His idiotic neighbor is obsessed with him. The rich woman, Jaek Hee, whom he is seeing proposes marriage.

Spoilers here -
The stalker tells him that he is the illegitimate son of MG Shopping's Chairman. To gain the password and his father's acknowledgement, he must pass all her tests. She wants him to learn the basics of business using what he is already proficient in, seduction of women.

The first woman he already knows, the one he is currently dating, money bank property developer powerhouse who built her own fortune from zero to billionaire. Madly in love with him, she seeks the advice of a shaman on how to keep him for good. The kooky fortune teller, Fairy, tells her he was a beautiful concubine in his past life and he brought about the fall of three kingdoms (What.) and he's now reincarnated as a man, so he needs to be pampered properly.  (Padmavati, anyone?) Further, according to the mystic, he will raise his woman to be a queen, but she must start as a pauper.

The warning is ignored until a major deal falls through and a lot of money is lost. She buys an expensive talisman to prevent more trouble but they nearly die in a car accident. At the moment of impact, she shields her pretty boy toy with her body. In the hospital bed, all wrapped up like a mummy she breaks up with him. Her conclusion, she loves him more than her life, but not more than her money. The boy walks away with his heart broken and his first lesson learned. " Money is a living thing and it can grow if you treat it properly, but don't let it consume you until only money and the fear of losing it is left." Point, even if she lost all her money and had to start from scratch, she would still be the same person with that ability to make money. Money can be earned back. Money is not irreplaceable.

There is also a warehouse full of socks, his idiotic female neighbor who follows him around and her new identical male friend, both of them have some real strange hobbies. 'Glamping' when you have a mansion.

Now, this is just a drama and you can't gain an MBA from your lovers, but this has some interesting ideas. The second woman on his list, Mystic Fairy, the shaman/fortune teller. And the list goes on till 10. Check this out. No more spoilers.

OK, super secret spoilers start here - you have been warned.
 he's not really the illegitimate son of MG Chairman, but that's obvious once you see the watch.
Why though cause when you abandon, you leave no reminders. Maybe a pinch of regret. 
Rape is a true crime, the aftereffects are felt for generations. You believe she is a villain but you feel for her.        
How creepy of her husband to track down and install his old girlfriend as caretaker for his wife's abandoned son. The divorced daughter in law finding out was a superb touch.
 Of course the weirdo is the true illegitimate son. He was too rich to be the abandoned child. And his father kept visiting. 
 You really feel for Ma Te when he finds out that his birth mother is his enemy. He gives up on his own business ( after a complete makeover too!) and opens a kalbi restaurant. ( grilled meat, South Korean BBQ ). Not a vegetarian.
 The romance is not very convincing cause the girl next door never really gets my attention, but I think that was the point, a guy like that would need a woman who would never look away from him. Very high maintenance fellow. Met women like that before, too much trouble, will make drama out of thin air. Gorgeous beauties but heart's a mess.
I also did not empathize with the glamping rich kid's love for her. It felt forced. And he soon meets another glamping addict. As if love were that easy to forget. All ends well, tied up with a pretty bow.
Love is not easy. Hard work and the ability to forgive and forget, constantly, no breaks. You have to hypnotize yourself to see past all the flaws and only look at the good points. People don't come in size perfect fit for your heart. People can be cruel and real.
I guess, i don't really believe in the fantasy cause I've seen enough of reality. Love is work, and you gotta put in time, effort, emotion, money, sex, did i forget anything? gifts. And words, say it, mean it.

Oh, if I was not clear before, really enjoyed this drama, do check it out. So many lovely ladies and each lady needs to be wooed individually to win her over. No one key opens all locks. Men don't get that, each woman is unique and deserves your full attention. This is a life decision, and she won't choose you if you're making her doubt you.

Trinkets

On Netflix, Trinkets is an original show, written from the feminine perspective of three very different women who share a hobby, pick pocketing, stealing, robbing.

Fingersmith vibes? I have only one season ready to play. Where is the rest?

Sure, the main characters seem interesting, but they're all stupid teenagers who don't know what they want, whose lives revolve around their lovers. When, when, when! will you give me a show with older females, who aren't just pretty faces and love interests, who actually have meaning and purpose in their lives not including men. Are our lives devoted to the pursuit of love or are we human beings?

It feels like if I want the material I'm talking about, I have to write it myself. I'm up for the challenge.

Still, that said, the acting here is brilliant, you actually feel the discontent and the sorrow and the guilt and the jealousy. Beautiful. Strong writing, strong acting, and a view that earns your attention effortlessly. I recommend a look, at least once.

Netflix is expensive. Borrow from a friend or share with family. Get your money's worth. The older I get, the more aware I become of money. Such conflicting views on money. Money is important, so save, save, save. Money is easy, so spend, spend, spend. Money is a boomerang, says Good Girls. And that is another review, right.